           ASPIRES: A SOLUTION TO THE MIDCAREER PLATEU

                               By 

                        Scott A. Johnson
                           Lieutenant
             Lakeville, Minnesota, Police Department


     The American Dream is inherent in the Nation's workforce.
Employees believe that if they work hard and are loyal to their
organizations, they are almost assured ascent on the ladder of
success. Police officers, who devote their careers to public
service, also subscribe to this philosophy.

     Unfortunately, today's economy has meant budget cuts, agency
downsizing, and fewer promotions in police departments. Even
officers with the appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities
fail to rise above the patrol officer rank. Often, these officers
have put many years in the organization; they have families and
financial obligations. Leaving the department is not an option
for them.

     While some patrol officers may be able to adjust and remain
focused on their jobs, most feel angry, disappointed, and
dissatisfied. As a result, their morale and productivity suffer,
affecting the entire organization, which now falls prey to the
"plateau dragon." This monster eats initiative and leaves in its
tracks the lifeless corpses of midcareer patrol officers. These
officers are dead but not gone. Rather, they have "quit and
stayed."

     Is slaying this plateau dragon one of the personnel
challenges police administrators face?  Administrators must
ensure that their employees remain satisfied and committed to the
agency, even without promotions.

     Toward this goal, the Lakeville, Minnesota, Police
Department, with 28 sworn officers, has developed ASPIRES, a
career development program that specifically targets midcareer
patrol officers. This article outlines ASPIRES and provides
guidance to administrators who wish to use similar approaches in
their own departments.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

     ASPIRES encourages patrol officers to grow and gain
experience in areas that will benefit them and their departments.
It provides recognition for their accomplishments, encourages
them to continue learning, and rewards them for their efforts,
without removing their skills and talents from patrol work.

     ASPIRES provides structure and purpose to officers' training
and gives them control over the process. It places responsibility
for career growth in their hands.

     ASPIRES provides personal development in seven key areas:
Administrative Services, Specialization, Professional Training,   
Investigation, Records/Communication, Experience, and
Supervision. Each area includes objectives designed to increase
officers' knowledge and understanding of their duties. 
Supervisors and patrol officers mutually agree upon these
objectives, and then officers set their own timetables for
accomplishing each so they do not neglect their primary patrol
functions.

     Supervisors act as coaches and mentors. They guide, assist,
and monitor officers as they advance through the program.
Officers maintain progress manuals, which they review and sign
with supervisors following satisfactory completion of each
objective.

     Because departments are unique in structure, services, and
needs, administrators should develop objectives and training
resources appropriate for the needs of their department.
Lakeville's program, which is detailed below, could serve as a
starting point for other departments wishing to institute such a
program.

PROGRAM SPECIFICS   

Administrative Services

     Patrol officers are often removed from administrative
functions. They may be critical of management for what they see
as deficiencies; however, they may not realize the work involved
in running a department. The administrative services element of
the program helps officers to gain insight into the inner
workings of the department.

     To complete the requirements of this component, officers
work closely with the chief, assisting in the preparation of two
consecutive annual department budgets and attending a county
chiefs of police meeting as the chief's guest. They must also
complete an indepth, written research project, under the chief's
direction, and formally present their findings and
recommendations at a staff meeting. They might report on new
equipment, technologies, or techniques in law enforcement or
provide solutions to a problem the department has       
experienced.

     In addition, officers also attend, and contribute to, at
least six police department staff meetings and serve on the
employee recruitment and interview board for at least 1 year.
They also complete a minimum of four credit hours in a Peace
Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board-approved course in
media relations and then assist in the preparation of at least
six press releases.

     Officers also construct a professional resume. This helps
them to see what they have accomplished thus far in their careers
and to determine where they need improvement or further
development. The resume also serves to illustrate the value of
ASPIRES.

Specialization

     In small police departments, patrol officers usually take on
supplementary assignments because the demand and resources do not
exist to assign officers to some duties full time. By
incorporating these assignments into ASPIRES, departments acquire
needed services while officers gain valuable knowledge and
experience.

     Objectives in this area require that officers hold, for a
minimum of 24 months each, three supplementary assignments. The
Lakeville chief of police designated 16 areas in which officers
can meet specialization requirements, including K-9 patrol, SWAT
team, hostage negotiation, firearms instruction, and traffic
accident investigation, to name a few.

Professional Training

     The complexities of policing today require professional,
highly educated police officers. Departments across the Nation
are mandating or increasing higher education requirements for
their officers, and Minnesota is no exception.

     Minnesota's POST Board requires not only that prospective
law enforcement officers complete a 2-year degree program but
also that they become licensed prior to seeking employment with a
law enforcement agency in the State. Officers must earn 48 hours
of continuing education credits in order to renew their license,
which is valid for 3 years.

     In addition to the State's requirements, the Lakeville
Police Department requires that officers hired after January 1,
1981, who participate in ASPIRES, possess a 4-year college
degree. Professional training does not end with a degree,
however. Officers must also:

     .  Complete a minimum of 100 hours of POST-approved
        training directly related to their supplementary
        assignment

     .  Provide a minimum of 200 hours' inservice training to
        other department members. (This might relate to the
        officer's supplementary assignment or another area in
        which the officer has expertise.)

     .  Become a field training officer and take part in the
        training of at least two rookie patrol officers
 
     .  Attend Intoxilyzer/Breathalyzer school and become
        certified as an operator, maintaining this certification
        with 8 hours of training every 2 years

     .  Complete training in the basic core areas of hazardous
        materials (Hazmat), Skywarn (the National Weather
        Service's warning system), crime scene procedures,
        interview and interrogation techniques, and crime
        prevention programs.

Investigation

     Patrol officers usually have little experience investigating
major cases. For this reason, ASPIRES requires officers to serve
a minimum of 1 year in the patrol officer investigator position
or on the drug task force. During this year, they develop or
improve skills in interrogation and interviewing and network with
investigators in other jurisdictions, thus benefiting from their
peers' knowledge and experience.

     In addition, officers must complete a minimum of 100 credit 
hours of POST-approved training in investigation and a
department-approved advanced interview and interrogation course.
They must also investigate at least one major felony case,
personally obtaining a formal complaint and signed arrest warrant
charging the suspect with the offense.

Records/Communication

     Although patrol officers frequently access department
records indirectly, they often have no concept of how to retrieve
the information themselves. They may not even know what data the
system contains. ASPIRES' two-part training in records and
communication addresses these concerns.

     Officers must spend 200 hours in the records/communication   
division and demonstrate a working knowledge of records
procedures, criminal justice information services, and radio
dispatching nomenclature and procedures. They must also display
proficiency in using the inhouse computer system and its
programs. Finally, officers must complete a minimum of 4 credit
hours of POST-approved training in data privacy laws.

Experience

     Patrol officers typically go through several stages in their
careers. They spend the first 5 years learning the job and the
second 5 to 10 years using the skills they have mastered in what
most consider an exciting and challenging position. By the third
stage, officers look forward to promotion within the department.
In line with this time-table, the ASPIRES program requires
officers to have served the department for a minimum of 15 years,
10 assigned to the patrol division. However, merely "going
through the motions" is not enough. Officers must demonstrate
initiative, good police practices, and the ability to handle
ever-increasing levels of responsibility.

Supervision

     Similar to the administrative services function of the
program, the supervision component aims to provide patrol
officers with a perspective on issues that supervisors face
daily, such as community concerns or personnel matters. To
accomplish this, officers must complete the following objectives:

     .  Attend a minimum of 200 hours of POST-approved
        management training

     .  Assist the supervisor in charge with the successful
        resolution of at least two critical incidents

     .  Assist in the planning and preparation of police
        services for the annual community celebration

     .  Serve a minimum of 12 months as the department's college
        student intern coordinator or the police reserve
        liaison.

PROGRAM REWARDS

     Completion of ASPIRES is a notable accomplishment that is    
formally documented. In Lakeville, patrol officers who complete
the program receive a promotion to the honorary rank of corporal
in recognition of their efforts.

     Department administrators must determine what their officers 
view as valuable rewards and structure the reward system
accordingly. In addition to extrinsic rewards, patrol officers
can feel proud of their achievement and benefit from their newly
acquired, hard-earned knowledge, skills, and experience.

CONCLUSION

     Qualified officers who get passed over for promotion may   
interpret it as a personal rejection. Those unable to recover may
react with disappointment, bitterness, and antagonism. But,
instead of leaving the organization, many of these officers
choose to "quit and stay."

     Police administrators must be aware of the warning signs of
plateaued midcareer patrol officers and take steps to reduce the
frustration and resentment this can cause. Failure to do so may
negatively impact the entire organization.

     ASPIRES places control and responsibility for career
development in the hands of the patrol officer, encouraging
growth and continued commitment. It fosters a mentor relationship
between the supervisor and the patrol officer and can be designed
to fit the uniqueness of each individual agency. ASPIRES is a
proactive program that police administrators can use to slay the
plateau dragon that devours many midcareer patrol officers.